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Kermit the Frog
Kermit the Frog is puppeteer Jim Henson's most famous Muppet creation, first introduced in 1954. He is the protagonist of many Muppet projects, most notably as the host of The Muppet Show, and has appeared in various sketches on Sesame Street, in commercials and in public service announcements over the years. Kermit is put as a logo of Jim Henson's Company. Miss Piggy has a crush on Kermit. Kermit's most well-known catchphrase is "Hi-ho, Kermit the Frog here!" He typically introduced acts on The Muppet Show by waving his arms wildly and shouting "Yaaaay!" (a technique he learned from his old acting coach, Mr. Dawson). Character Creation The earliest ever trace of Kermit first appeared in 1954 on WRC-TV's Sam and Friends. This prototype Kermit was created from a turquoise woman-size coat that Henson's mother had thrown into a waste bin, and two ping pong ball halves for eyes. Initially, Kermit was as a puppy-like creature instead of a frog. He subsequently made a number of television appearances before his status as a frog was established, which was shortly before Sesame Street began. His collar was added at the time to make him seem more froglike and to conceal the seam between his head and body. Appearences Kermit is the only Muppet to be featured prominently on both The Muppet Show and Sesame Street. (Others like Miss Piggy and Dr. Teeth were shown in photographs hung on the walls of skits on Sesame Street, and Rowlf the Dog made a cameo appearance in one skit. A few Sesame Street characters, like Big Bird and Ernie and Bert, made guest appearances on The Muppet Show.) Sesame Street Kermit was one of the original Muppet characters on Sesame Street. Though he was intended to be removed from the cast after the first season, he returned as a full-time character in the third, and remained a regular character for many years. Closely identified with the show, he often appeared as an easily frustrated lecturer, a straight man to the humorous antics of another Muppet, or a news reporter interviewing storybook characters for Sesame Street News. He most often interacted with Grover and, to a slightly lesser extent, Cookie Monster. The various songs he sang on Sesame Street tended to be meaningful in nature, -most memorably his song "Bein' Green". Following the death of Jim Henson, Kermit was used less frequently on Sesame Street, but still made new appearances until 2001. Unlike the rest of the show's Muppets, he was not created for the exclusive use of Sesame Workshop, and has rarely been a part of the show's merchandise. All Muppet characters originally belonged to the Jim Henson Company, but when the opportunity came for Sesame Workshop to buy its characters for $180 million, Kermit was not included in the deal. The character now belongs to The Muppets Studio, owned and controlled by the Muppets Holding Company. Sesame Workshop does have permission to use old sketches featuring Kermit, but such sketches are rarely used in new episodes. Kermit made his first new appearance since 2001 in the show's fortieth season premiere on November 10, 2009. The Muppet Show In The Muppet Show television series, Kermit was the central character, the frontman and the long-suffering stage manager of the theatre show, trying to keep order amidst the chaos created by the other Muppets. Jim Henson once claimed that Kermit's job on the Muppet Show was much like his own: "trying to get a bunch of crazies to actually get the job done." It was on this show that the running joke of Kermit being pursued by leading lady Miss Piggy developed. On Muppets Tonight, Kermit was still a main character, although he was the producer rather than frontman. Kermit also served as the mascot for The Jim Henson Company, until the sale of the Muppet characters to the Walt Disney Company. A Kermit puppet can be seen at the National Museum of American History. Kermit has also played a central role in all of the Muppet movies except for Muppets from Space which was focused on Gonzo the Great. Specials When The Muppet Show was in development, Kermit was not intended to be the main character. In The Muppets Valentine Show, he had a major supporting role, and starred in two sketches, but the main character for that special was Wally. In The Muppet Show: Sex and Violence, Kermit appeared in the audience during the wrestling sketches, and had one line in "At the Dance." After that special was made, Jim Henson realized that the pilot's host, Nigel, was not working out as a main character, and it was suggested to Henson that Kermit be the star instead. Since Kermit was the main character on The Muppet Show, it makes sense that he appeared in every special relating to The Muppet Show, usually as the main character. In The Muppets at Walt Disney World, it was revealed that the swamp where he grew up at is located near Walt Disney World. Changed Porformers Kermit was performed by Henson until his death in 1990. Since then, Kermit has been performed by Steve Whitmire. He was voiced by Frank Welker in Muppet Babies. Whitmire's first performance as Kermit was in The Muppets Celebrate Jim Henson, when he appeared at the end of the special. For the next few years, Kermit's function in Muppet productions became a supporting role. Examples include his literary parts in The Muppet Christmas Carol and Muppet Treasure Island. On Muppets Tonight, though Kermit still introduced the guests, he usually played a more detached role, as producer. After supporting roles on Muppets Tonight and the first three Muppet movies made after Jim Henson's death, Kermit became the central character in Kermit's Swamp Years and It's a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie. Jane Henson reflected on the recasting, in a 1990 interview: "Steve Whitmire as Kermit: "When Jim was alive, he said if anything happened to him, Kermit must go on right away. Because of Kermit's significant place, Jim had essentially chosen who he thought could do it. But we don't want to say who it is before the show. The performer needs time. Kermit won't come back so strong at first. Then little by little, he will get his whole personality back." Awards and commemorations Kermit was awarded an honorary doctorate of Amphibious Letters on May 19, 1996 at Southampton College, New York, where he also gave a commencement speech. He is also the only amphibian to have had the honor of addressing the Oxford Union. A statue of Henson and Kermit was erected on the campus of Henson's alma mater, the University of Maryland, College Park in 2003. Kermit was also given the honor of being the Grand Marshal of the Tournament of Roses Parade in 1996. On November 14, 2002, Kermit the Frog received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The star is located at 6801 Hollywood Blvd. On Kermit's 50th birthday, the United States Postal Service released a set of new stamps with photos of Kermit and some of his fellow Muppets on them. The background of the stamp sheet features a photo of a silhouetted Henson sitting in a window well, with Kermit sitting in his lap looking at him. In 2006, while Kermit was on his international tour, Kermit, Texas was taken over by the frog during their homecoming week, ending with Kermit himself crowning the homecoming queen. The city of Kermit's main water tower was then painted with the face and signature of the frog. Kermit was also the grand marshal for Michigan State University's homecoming parade in 2006. Appearances *''Sam and Friends'' (1954-1960) (TV) *''Sesame Street'' (1969-2001) (TV) *''The Muppet Valentine Show'' (1974) (TV) *''The Muppet Show: Sex and Violence'' (1975) (TV) *''The Muppet Show'' (1976-1981) (TV) *''Christmas Eve on Sesame Street'' (1977) (TV) *''The Muppet Movie'' (1979), *''The Great Muppet Caper'' (1981), *''The Muppets Take Manhattan'' (1984) *''Muppet Babies'' (1984-1991) (TV) *''Follow That Bird'' (1985) *''The Muppets: A Celebration of 30 Years'' (1986) (TV) *''A Muppet Family Christmas'' (1987) (TV) *''The Jim Henson Hour'' (1989) (TV) *''The Muppets at Walt Disney World'' (1990) (TV) *''The Muppets Celebrate Jim Henson'' (1990) (TV) *''The Muppet Christmas Carol'' (1992) - Appearance as Bob Cratchit *''Muppet Treasure Island'' (1996) - Appearance as Captain Abraham Smollett *''Muppets Tonight'' (1996) *''Muppets from Space'' (1999) *''Kermit's Swamp Years'' (2002) (Direct-to-Video) *''It's a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie'' (2002) (TV) *''The Muppets' Wizard of Oz'' (2005) (TV) - appearance as The Scarecrow *''The Muppets'' (2011) *''Muppets Most Wanted'' (2014) *''The Muppets'' (2015-2016) (TV)